The mobile phone is now firmly entrenched as a part of the marketer’s toolkit — but the art of successful mobile marketing is still relatively young and rapidly evolving. The term itself – Mobile Marketing – is a catchall for whole host of activities and strategies employed to try to get somebody with a mobile phone to do something; there are mobile apps, mobi sites and USSD strings, location aware platforms, direct messaging such as SMS and ‘in-app’ notifications, mobile banners, mobile coupons and vouchers…the list goes on.

This matrix is designed to help navigate the options available. It is not intended to be the definitive guide.

It’s great to see the growth in awareness of the importance of mobile with regards to communication strategies. There seems to be a real buzz building about mobile and it’s my belief that 2015 will hold really exciting progress both for the industry and MMA SA.

The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), the leading global trade association for the mobile industry, announced today the addition of nine new industry leaders to its EMEA Board of Directors serving for a two-year term with immediate effect. They join an active board drawn from the marketer, agency, media owner, tech enabler, research and Telco communities who along with the country council chairs represent businesses across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Today the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) announced the appointment of John Costello, President, Global Marketing and Innovation, Dunkin’ Brands, as the new Chairman of its Global Board of Directors at the opening of the association’s New York Education Forum in New York City.

New kid on the mobile block MaxAxion launched this year at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona with an offering allowing advertisers access to mobile traffic throughout Africa in the form of display, SMS and USSD inventory.

By Nicolle Harding In the wake of household name magazine FHM closing down this week, it’s gotten me thinking…how is it that such a strong print publication has seen it’s demise over a short 6 year period.

Native ads running on a sample messaging app Singapore, January 30, 2014 – InMobi, the world’s largest independent mobile advertising network, today announced the launch of its Native Ads platform that allows app developers and mobile publishers to deliver an engaging, in-context, native ad experience to their end users, with minimal development effort.

In the fifth annual release of the MMA's Mobile Review of AMPS 2012AB, some startling statistics are confirming that "nothing will get a marketer closer to their consumers, than mobile - especially in South Africa" - says Raymond Buckle, CEO of SilverstoneCIS and outgoing Chairman of the Mobile Marketing Association's South African Council.

Two non-executive board members have joined the Digital Media and Marketing Association (DMMA), representing key players in the market - media planners and mobile - with the purpose of strengthening ties with these important stakeholders.

The Protection of Personal Information Act was signed into law in November 2013 and 2014 should see some frantic activity as marketers review their privacy policies and rewrite their standard operating procedures for processing customers’ personal information.

“Nothing Gets Marketers Closer to their Consumers than Mobile”

Mobile has sparked a new world of media in which every object is a medium and every place is an opportunity for a message. There is no other platform that is as personal, as pervasive, and provides the opportunity for proximity to connect with consumers in the right place and time. It is time to reimagine marketing with mobile leading the charge.

Every Moment is Mobile.

The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) South Africa is part of the global non-profit trade association that represents all players within the mobile marketing value chain. To this end, the MMA SA is active in the promotion, establishment and growth of the mobile marketing and advertising industry in South Africa. Established in 2008, the MMA now boasts over 70 members, providing them with valuable information such as the latest statistics, case studies, insights from the African continent, specials on events and training.

To keep your finger on the pulse of mobile marketing in South Africa. Get the latest mobile stats, case studies, insights about Africa, training and specials on events like this supported by the MMA of SA… Join our local MMA community for FREE at www.mmasa.org.

For more information on the Mobile Media Association of South Africa, please email info@mmasa.org.